What Really Happens at Other Schools?

The editors and I went on a mission this week: to discover how much of the hype–that Sarah Lawrence is the largest bubble known to man, that we have a very intrinsically different college experience than everyone else–was, in fact, true.

We all asked a friend to give short answers to 5 questions that we thought got to the bottom of something important. What happens on Friday nights at other schools? Do people really participate in campus groups? Is security a horrible group of people? Is learning exciting? How are schools defined by their students? We also answered these questions ourselves. The results are below, spanning the country from big-name Universities to smaller state schools.

Although it’s not useful to continually pit the Sarah Lawrence experience against the rest of the world, two things are apparent. 1) Sarah Lawrence absolutely has more in common with other colleges than many may think. 2) While that may be true, it is impossible to compare the SLC ethos to any other institution. We’re just different, and so are they.

On a typical Friday night, I will usually drink with my friends, either in one of our suites or at a bar. Then after that I will usually go to a fraternity, or to a bar/club (that sounds a lot more intense than it is) where there is dancing.

What campus groups are you a part of?

I am part of a group called Community Health Educators which teaches health education in New Haven public high schools. I am also a part of a group of students who go into a youth prison and tutor the inmates so they can get their GEDs.

Describe campus security. Do you like them?

Our campus security is pretty solid. New Haven is a really dangerous city and so there are a lot of them all throughout campus. They rarely (if ever) discipline students or get them in trouble, and so most people on campus either like them or are pretty indifferent to them.

What’s the coolest thing you learned in the last class you were in today?

I’m not in school now…

Describe your school in three words.

Motivated, interesting, and happy

2. Nina: Editor, Agenda:

What do you do on a Friday night?

I don’t really have a Friday night routine. Usually I’ll cook and have dinner with friends and see how the night unfolds. Maybe drink and go to the Blue Room, maybe not. It’s usually pretty low key, but still social.

What campus groups are you a part of?

I’m working with a group of students now to get a food co-op started at Sarah Lawrence. I’m also involved in music here, though not a music student. SLCSpeaks, too.

Describe campus security. Do you like them?

It’s a tough place to be between keeping people safe and being overly restrictive. I do not envy campus security officers their jobs, because they are kind of there to keep us in check, to some degree. I’m not really in a place to pass personal judgment, because I don’t actually know any of them.

What’s the coolest thing you learned in the last class you were in today?
I’d have to choose between the subjunctive or the imperative tense in Spanish. Probably the subjunctive.

I usually go out on a Friday night, either to a movie, dinner with friends, or just hanging at the mall.

What campus groups are you a part of?

I’m currently a member of the International Students Association, a dormitory community, and am the International Students Ambassador.

Describe campus security. Do you like them?

I would say that it is enough. In the academic building, there hasn’t been any thievery that I am aware of, and although not all dormitories, some halls have pretty strict guards and security. Although sometimes I think it’s too strict, I think it’s for the good of everyone.

What’s the coolest thing you learned in the last class you were in today?

We haven’t really started learning the materials yet, just went through the syllabus and class rules. However, I think the professor is going to be good and the class will be cool because we will be learning about the history of dictatorships.

Describe your school in three words.

Tough but fun.

4. Robyn: Photo Editor:

What do you do on a Friday night?

Usually I go to dinner and read or watch movies afterwards.

What campus groups are you a part of?

I am the Photo Editor of SCLspeaks and am involved in ISU (International Students Union). Additionally, I take part in the theatre scene on campus.

Describe campus security. Do you like them?

I don’t have much experience with campus security. So far they have been pretty great at keeping things safe around main campus.

What’s the coolest thing you learned in the last class you were in today?

In my FYS we learned why Rachel from the play Reckless decided to refrain from speaking for 6 years.

Friday night I usually make myself dinner around 6. Around 8 o’clock I usually shower and get ready if I am going out. Since I am 21, I usually go out to a bar with my friends. I either have a few drinks or I am the designated driver. Sometimes I stay in and watch a movie.

What campus groups are you a part of?

I am a member of the psychology club, best buddies, women’s club soccer, and I am the advertising chair on the e-board for the peer education group I am involved in.

Describe campus security. Do you like them?

Campus security can be seen driving around throughout campus and throughout all the dorms. They even drive around through the surrounding neighborhoods and streets by my school. They are at the front gate to check people in who are coming in to campus after 10 pm. I am indifferent towards them because I have not really had any sort of interaction with them.

What’s the coolest thing you learned in the last class you were in today?

I did not have class today, but the last class I had was Drug Use and Abuse on Thursday. I learned that nicotine is the hardest drug to withdraw from and alcohol is the most dangerous drug to withdraw from. This is interesting because both of these substances are legal.

Describe your school in three words.

Wealthy, cliquey, giving (mostly to the community)

6. Gabrielle: Editor, Speak:

What do you do on a Friday night?

If I’m on campus, I can probably be found making dinner and then dancing around with my roommates. If I’m in the city, it all depends. I do go to a lot of concerts, readings, and dinners made by people who have appeared on Chopped. I also love to sit in the Barnes and Noble in Union Square and read Diary of a Wimpy Kid without paying for it.

What campus groups are you a part of?

SLCSpeaks, naturally! The best campus group.

Describe campus security. Do you like them?

There’s always a van parked in the driveway to where I live, and whenever I walk by they look miserable. I try and smile at them, and they usually smile back, so that’s a nice interaction.

What’s the coolest thing you learned in the last class you were in today?

I learned that the hunting scene in War and Peace may be the most globally emotionally resonating in the book, according to many other readers.

Hang out, go downtown, watch a movie, eat food. Depends. Last Friday I walked around central park and then grabbed fantastic pizza by the Brooklyn bridge.

What campus groups are you a part of?

I’m a tour guide, an a Capella singer, and a member of our faculty awards committee. Oh, and I just started doing Model UN again.

Describe campus security. Do you like them?

I love them. They’re super friendly and pretty much great. I always feel safe, and they’re fun to talk to when you don’t want to rush back to your room.

What’s the coolest thing you learned in the last class you were in today?

Hmmm. Either that Rousseau’s philosophy is more liberal than democratic, a distinction that continues to play a role in modern politics, or that Islam originated within a society full of religious conflict/debate, and Islam attempted, in part, to present a cleaned-up version of all the faiths competing at the time.

Describe your school in three words.

Funtastically fabulous and wickedly smart. Oh whoops, that’s four.

8. Zoe: Editor, Wanderlust:

What do you do on a Friday night?

Go to the Blue Room or into the city for dinner.

What campus groups are you a part of?

SLCSpeaks!

Describe campus security. Do you like them?

If you manage to stay on their good side, they can be really nice.

What’s the coolest thing you learned in the last class you were in today?

I take evening classes at a nearby community college that keep me tied up until about nine o’clock on Fridays. After that, I’ll usually just relax with a few drinks and shoot the breeze with my roommates, maybe head to a party or the bars should the inclination strike.

What campus groups are you a part of?

Outside of academics, my passions here are the martial arts and the outdoors. I’m pretty involved with a program that teaches and practices outdoor recreation skills from rock climbing to snow camping, and I train Jiu Jitsu with the club sports team two or three times a week.

Describe campus security. Do you like them?

They seem professional, friendly, and fair. I’d say I like them, but maybe that is just because I haven’t yet had any problems with them. Campus security officers are certainly more understanding of student issues than the Eugene Police Department.

What’s the coolest thing you learned in the last class you were in today?

It is 12:45 in the afternoon and I haven’t had class yet. Yesterday we learned about the role of oxidative phosphorylation in cellular respiration; I love molecular biology so I thought that was pretty cool.

Describe your school in three words.

Carpe diem, dude.

10. Ella, Editor-In-Chief:

What do you do on a Friday night?

On an average Friday night, I’m probably dancing at the Blue Room.

What campus groups are you a part of?

I play on the women’s soccer team and run SLCspeaks.

Describe campus security. Do you like them?

I find them over-bearing. I don’t really take them seriously, since the real consequences they can enforce seem minimal. But I think we should be able to gather, listen to music and drink on a Saturday night without interruption.

What’s the coolest thing you learned in the last class you were in today?

I learned that French Surrealists were an exclusive bunch and Andre Breton would actually kick people out of his group. They also transcribed their dreams for poetry material.

During second semester on Friday nights I usually watch a movie with my friends on the track team and then go to bed early because I have track meets every Saturday. When I am not in season, I will usually go to the on-campus frats or a dorm party.

What campus groups are you a part of?

I am involved with the WashU track team and NSBE (national society of black engineers). I am also involved with Catalyst, which is a volunteering group within the Campus YMCA where each week I go to a St. Louis Middle School and run an afternoon program focused on science enrichment. Finally I am involved with Reflections which is a group on campus that promotes positive body image. Our main slogan is “Love Your Body” and we host Fat-Talk Free Week and Eating Disorder Awareness weeks.

Describe campus security. Do you like them?

Campus security is pretty good, but it’s not perfect so you just have to be smart and careful about your surroundings. The only time that I hear about crime or robberies is from people that were walking by themselves at 2am or something.

What’s the coolest thing you learned in the last class you were in today?

The last class that I was in today we had an exam. But the last class that I had on Wednesday was biomechanics. We analyzed the strength of a gymnast’s arm during a move called “the iron cross”. We learned that an 150 lb man uses over 800 lbs of strength in his arm to perform this move!!! SO STRONG! I sound like such a nerd but I actually think that’s really cool.

Describe your school in three words.

Three words to describe my school: Challenging, Friendly, Flexible (meaning that it’s easy to get involved in any group and meet a variety of people)

Anna: Editor, Create:

What do you do on a Friday night?

On a typical Friday night I get back from work in the city in the evening and then watch a movie with friends. We will either end up just hanging out talking or sometimes we will go to a dorm party.

What campus groups are you a part of?

I am an editor for SLC Speaks, but besides that I am not really a member of any officially organized on-campus groups.

Describe campus security. Do you like them?

Campus security at SLC is strict, in my opinion. They don’t stop me from having a good time with my friends, but I am frustrated with how much they are cracking down on low-key gatherings on campus.

What’s the coolest thing you learned in the last class you were in today?

The last class I was in was my Governance Through Drugs class taught by Dominic Corva, which is one of the best courses I’ve taken at SLC so far. I am very interested in our ongoing discussion of “narco capitalism” and the role that drug trafficking plays in the global economy.

Gabrielle Campagnano (Opinion Editor)’s favorite word is communication. She is described by close friends (and enemies) as “diligent,” “an appreciator of words,” “jolly,” “hottest monogomist” and “moogle”. Although she concentrates in Poetry at Sarah Lawrence, you can talk to her about intelli-rap and Szechuan peppercorns. Post-grad, Gabrielle plans on readying the next generation of artists (ages 5-10) to take on the world with mindfulness and sensitivity.